It was done with dazzling speed. Both houses of the French Parliament met at Versailles and ratified the Treaty of Lisbon, the document, which in all but name establishes for the first time a political constitution for the European Union. Legislators were told that France must lead the way in the ratification process because the EU was "in crisis" as a result of the rejection two years ago of the original constitutional treaty.
This all however bears closer analysis. Brussels has carried on functioning with little sense of crisis since both French and Dutch voters rejected the constitutional treaty in two extraordinary referenda. The "crisis" was far more in the minds of the French ruling elite and undoubtedly had everything to do with the fact that this summer, the French will once again take over the EU's six-month presidency. Now whatever else happens during the French presidency, no one will be able to accuse them of chauvinism. They are once again fully signed up Europeans.
But what about the millions of French voters who quite firmly signaled that they rejected pretty well the same terms that have now been accepted by their legislators in the Lisbon document? To be fair to President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was not himself at Versailles, during his campaign for the Elysée Palace, he made it abundantly clear that he did not intend to hold a second referendum. He can therefore claim that he won a mandate to drive through the new constitutional agreement, which he will probably sign into law this weekend.
For us here in the Middle East it is good that the EU is pulling closer together. The Lisbon Treaty calls for both a EU president and a quasi foreign minister. Neither office will start off with much power but at least the EU will be able to speak with more force in international affairs, not least as a member of the Middle East Quartet charged with facilitating a just and enduring settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Nevertheless there are dangers in the way that, with the sole exception of Ireland, it will be legislators, rather than voters, who in 26 member states will decide - almost certainly in favor - of the Lisbon Treaty. There is writing on the wall here. Already implicit in this ratification mechanism is the idea that the EU has become too big and unwieldy to consult individual voters, even on issues of such critical importance as a constitution. Cynics might argue that if it starts like this, it is not going to get any better.
The risk is that while the political leaders, bankers and corporate world plow on with building a political union of European states, ordinary people will become disenchanted and remote from one of the most visionary of all political exercises. There is already a feeling that voters are too far removed from the powers that are exerting an ever-increasing influence over their lives. The consequent backlash, if and when it comes, could endanger the whole EU project and might set European countries back at each other's throats again.
